July 16 2012

1:00 AM

By Fred Albers, PGATOUR.COM Correspondent SILVIS, Ill.--
You can never discount the importance of a putt. Troy Matteson was
first in the John Deere Classic in Strokes Gained-Putting. Zach
Johnson was second in SGP. Both players made recent changes in
their strokes. Johnson has moved his hands a little further
forward, giving the ball a truer roll. Matteson was also
disappointed with the way the ball was leaving the face of the
putter. He concentrated on taking his hands out of the stroke and
making more of a pendulum movement. Matteson says he wants to keep
the triangle together. That means the area formed by the
shoulder blades and forearms stays connected during the
stroke. It paid off with a 60-foot eagle putt on the 71st hole
which tied him for the lead at TPC Deere Run on Sunday.
Stricker strokes: Steve Stricker had his
worst putting round of the tournament on Sunday. He took 30 strokes
and was ranked 54th for the week in Strokes Gained Putting. Perhaps
most damaging were a pair of misses from 5 feet. Stricker missed a
5-footer for par at the 10th hole and misfired on a 5-footer for
bogey on the 14th.
Approach shot: Never give Johnson a second
chance. He doubled the first playoff hole and then drove into the
fairway bunker when playing the 18th again. This time the lie was
much better and so was the shot. From 193 yards out, Johnson hit it
to within a foot to win the tournament. It's a shot that will
rival Bubba Watson's playoff approach at the Masters for shot of
the year. Zach's experience was evident as he is now 3-0 in
playoffs.
Ball supply: If you would like a golf ball,
just follow Brian Harman around the course. He routinely gives
balls away. He is not superstitious, either. Harman gives away
balls after making birdies or bogeys. He goes though about a half
dozen balls a round, spotting a child and handing out a souvenir.
Timed out: John Senden says he's on to
something. He is taking less time on the greens, taking less time
to read putts and letting his natural athletic ability help
him. Senden entered the week ranked 137th in Strokes
Gained-Putting and this week ranked 25th. He's always been a great
ball striker, ranking fifth on TOUR in greens in regulation. With
the help of better putting, Senden finished fourth this week.
Fred Albers is a course reporter for SiriusXM PGA TOUR Radio
and is inside the ropes this week at the John Deere Classic. For
more information on SiriusXM PGA TOUR Radio,
click here.